McMaster Accuses Russia of Waging ‘Campaigns of Subversion’ Against the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Tuesday described Russia as a top threat, and accused it of waging “campaigns of subversion” against the United States.

“We’re facing a threat from Russia that involves also so-called new generation warfare. And these are very sophisticated campaigns of subversion and disinformation and propaganda, using cyber tools, operating across multiple domains that attempt to divide our communities within our nation and pit them against each other and try to create a crisis of confidence,” he said at an event in Washington hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank.

They were unusual words of criticism coming from a member of an administration that wants to improve relations with Russia. They were also unusual given that the Trump administration has been plagued by accusations from critics that Russia meddled in the 2016 election in President Trump’s favor.

McMaster also called Russia a “revisionist” power that was undermining international order and stability and ignoring the sovereign rights of neighbors and the rule of law.

“They have of course used unconventional forces under the cover of conventional forces to advance their interest and have forcibly changed the borders of Europe for the first time since World War II of their invasions of Georgia and Ukraine,” he said.

He also said the administration’s upcoming National Security Strategy, which will outline the administration’s national security priorities, will be released on Monday.